Being published is this coveted goal as a writer. Many of us are probably questioning, at times, whether we are indeed a writer if we haven’t reached that goal. The short answer is yes.
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We promise, we did not forget that it is National Poetry Month! You will often hear me say that poets are the best of us. Poetry remains a constant source of inspiration for me. When I’m feeling lost or stuck, I love to read poetry, especially when revising fiction at a line level. I want to be able to write sentences that make you stop in your tracks, and read, and re-read, until you can finally move on from its beauty. Sentences that convey a mundane emotion, but in a uniquely challenging way. That’s what poetry helps me do.
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There are a lot of other concerns to have in the world right now, which I completely want to acknowledge. But for all it’s worth, writing is still happening and I would say it’s even more important now than ever as people try to silence our voices especially as Black and POC writers. So, with that said, we write on.
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As a writer starting out, we may not be familiar with many terms that are frequently used in publishing and general writing circles. A reading event feels like one of those terms that can feel big and intimidating when you’re a writer still in the process of finding their voice. But rest assured, reading events are such a supportive environment and can be helpful in your writing process.
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Recently in our Something for the Planners course, we were discussing world-building and setting. While these aspects of novel writing can seem trivial, I realized how important they can be in preparing my lesson plan. Every single part of a novel is working together to move the story forward and where we put our characters is no different.
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Spring has almost sprung and I’m excited to tell you that your battle with the seasonal blues is coming to an end. It can be a real challenge to stay creative in the winter months, unless it’s just your jam, but it’s time to kick off the rust and jump into all of the new work that you want to create now that Daylight Saving is upon us.
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I remember in the early stages of querying my book receiving feedback like “the characters just weren’t relatable,” which left me with the thought, relatable to who? As an avid reader, I don’t need characters to be relatable in order to understand or enjoy the story. The question is, has the work been done to develop the character? Is there something missing in the arc? Or are they coming up a little flat or one dimensional? That would be constructive criticism. The reality is, Black and POC writers, we will always be carving out our own space in a lane that wasn’t created with us in mind.
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Can I tell you a secret? When there was so much bubbling over whether or not TikTok was going to be banned, I didn’t care at all. Not one bit. Even though I’ve thumbed through the timeline, laughed and enjoyed creator content, I thought, whew, one less social media outlet to keep up with. I thought for a moment, is this the beginning of the return to real life things? Will we finally have had enough with algorithms and an inflated sense of connectivity, and then, it came right back.
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It’s that time of year, where so many writers are putting together their packages to send off for residencies and fellowships in hopes that they’ll actually hear positive news in a few months. So many of us are looking for that uninterrupted time to make real headway on works in progress, and be supported in our endeavors. And by supported, I mostly mean fed. It’s so nice to have meals made for you when you’re headfirst into a writing project, but I digress. There’s a lot of great community that comes from these opportunities as well as education and productivity.
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When you initially sit down to write a love story, you may think it’s just about those two people. They meet, they fall in love, there’s challenges and the convenient 3rd act breakup and they live happily ever after. But I love thinking more about how community impacts our relationships and as Black and POC writers, we are a communal people and rarely is love happening in isolation.
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I know we’ve talked about this in different iterations, but alas, here we are with some additional input from writers across the digital space. I know it seems unimportant, but I can tell you that having a group of authors over the past two years to lean on has been invaluable to me and my career. From trying to understand whether I should change agents to getting feedback on my work, I’m so happy to have a group chat that I can go to and get all my questions answered.
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When an author, who has spent so much time on their craft and becoming the best writer they can be, hears they also have to build a platform, they literally go pale in the face and panic ensues. “They don’t want to have to be an influencer, they are a writer.” But the reality here is writers are storytellers and all social media, newsletters, and podcasts are different formats to tell your story.
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AI can seem like the big bad wolf, especially, for writers. I was afraid to even broach the subject so as not to be stoned. But, just like in music, I don’t necessarily see AI as replacing creators, but I do see opportunities to utilize AI for assistance in other areas that aren’t creating your work. Hear me out!
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In a previous newsletter, I mentioned Tayari Jones’ choice in An American Marriage to have letters as the main mode of communication for her characters even though it was a contemporary story. It helped that Roy was imprisoned, but we know even the prison system has upgraded means of communication in many ways. However, she found a way to make it work.
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First and foremost, I wanted to check in with you at the start of a new year. Thank you for your grace during our holiday break. I’m learning how to schedule rest into all this craziness and writing a weekly newsletter requires some rest in between. Although it did not quite go as planned for all the writing I hoped to get done, I’m truly learning how to go with the flow.
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“I like to tell the truth as I see it. I hope others do the same. That’s why literature is so important. We cannot possibly leave it to history as a discipline nor to sociology nor science nor economics to tell the story of our people.” - Nikki Giovanni, Black Women Writers (Edited by Mari Evans)
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I know we’re all not romance writers here, but if you would indulge me for the week. I would even say that if you’re not writing romance, you’re likely still writing about other relationships, so information here may still be applicable. But I want to talk about the work of writing two people falling in love on the page. Not easy, no matter what reputation romance writing gets, by the way. I’ll tell you who has it easy, film and TV.
Let me explain. As much as I read, I also watch a lot of films for inspiration. Real life is not always romantic so while I’m writing about two people falling in love, I like to get lost in the fairytale that is onscreen love stories. Recently while watching Nobody Wants This, I realized that having a visual helps tell the story in a way that’s harder to achieve in literature. There are longing glances, delicate touches, that don’t have to be explained because well, we see it. Writing this nuance is so much harder when you have to paint the whole picture for the reader.
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